1. How to Start an Essay Get out 1 new piece of paper to jot down some notes. Title them: How to Start an Essay

2. What NOT to do: DONT start with a question! DONT start with a sound! DONT say Im going to tell you about… DONT start by repeating the prompt! DONT talk to the reader!

3. Start your essay 1 of 2 ways: 1.Peak 2 2. Picture

4. *Most exciting part of the story (mountain peak = climax!) Jump your reader into the middle of a story and leave them at the climax wanting more!

5. Prompt: Convince your principal that we should keep sports, even with limited funds. Student Example: My heart raced as I shot the ball and it danced on the rim, teasing me with the possibility of a point. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The buzzer went off and with a swoosh the ball fell in. Victory. Victory by one point. This wouldnt be possible if basketball was taken away.

6. Paints a picture in the readers mind through sensory images (see, hear, smell, taste, touch)

7. Prompt: Convince your principal that we should keep field trips, even with limited funds. Student Example: Adrenaline is snaking through my bloodstream, almost like I drank four Monster energy drinks. I cant sit here tearing at my patience any longer. Metal bars twist over us as we are getting ready to take off on the ride of our lives. I stared down at the 30-story track that wed soon drop down at 200 miles per hour. Band class had paid off this time. Our end-of-the- year field trip would be one that I would not soon forget.

8. Acknowledgements Thank you to Mrs. Pepe at LJPS for allowing access to this PowerPoint. Some of the original frames were deleted by Mrs. Dewrell.